[Alarickc]

That really sucks as someone who bought CC's direct on Christmas. To be honest, this smacks of some Hifiman-type crud. Joe had directly said on this thread that they where done incrementing the 1266s with the CC. It's part of what made me go for them. I'm still really happy with my headphones, but I'll think twice before buying more Abyss products in the future.

 

[protoss]

That really sucks as someone who bought CC's direct on Christmas. To be honest, this smacks of some Hifiman-type crud. Joe had directly said on this thread that they where done incrementing the 1266s with the CC. It's part of what made me go for them. I'm still really happy with my headphones, but I'll think twice before buying more Abyss products in the future.

Email Joe and asked for a free upgrade! Make your case. And show support and reasoning with passion. I am pretty sure the upgrade will be justified ! I recommend to upgrade asap!

 

[Alarickc]

Email Joe and asked for a free upgrade! Make your case. And show support and reasoning with passion. I am pretty sure the upgrade will be justified ! I recommend to upgrade asap!

I wrote them, I guess I'll see what happens.

 

[mt-hifidelity]

I heard the TC drivers today at CanJam. Its hard to get a solid impression in an exhibition hall but they did sound a bit faster and more resolving than my 1266 Phi (sigh). Of course they were also amped and sourced with top XIAudio gear. I'm going back tomorrow and will bring mine for comparison.

 

[phase0]

So we need impressions of the TC vs Phi driver. We need to know if upgrades will be available and if so what kind of timeline for wait and turn around?

 

[Savage4]

If it costs more than $500 or takes more than one month for the driver upgrade from phi cc, I will abandon the brand.

 

[ra990]

Crazy to think that they can get that much better than they already are. Can't fault them for moving the technology further and refining it even more, but it sucks that the resale value of what we have will inevitably take a hit. I do remember reading on this forum that the CC would be the final revision to the 1266, so I can understand the frustration if you purchased them based on that statement.

 

[ufospls2]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...ressions-thread.666765/page-448#post-14314297

It's interesting because I remember this post at the time. It made me think "I wonder what the next TOTL headphone by ABYSS will look like?" It also made me think "well if the CC is the final revision, I'd like to purchase a pair..."

It's hard to fault Joe and ABYSS for wanting to continue to improve the driver tech in their headphones. However, if I had purchased a pair of Phi CC recently, especially with the above post in mind, I would be a bit choked. Seeing as the price of the packages are the same on the ABYSS website, one would assume that if driver upgrades are available, they will cost the same? No clue on that one.

The naming scheme, and subsequently the used market will all be a bit more confusing now. AB-1266 (with or without CC pads,) AB-1266 Phi (with or without CC pads, matte or shiny finish,) AB-1266 Phi CC, AB-1266 Phi TC.

I guess we will just have to wait and see what Joe and co. says

 

[ra990]

Yea, would love some input from Joe about the TC.

The naming convention does seem strange if TC is supposed to indicate a new driver. I thought that's what the Phi refers to, hence the new Diana Phi using the same driver as the 1266 Phi - but now there's Phi TC, so I guess we should expect Diana Phi TC next?

 

[ufospls2]

Yea, would love some input from Joe about the TC.

The naming convention does seem strange if TC is supposed to indicate a new driver. I thought that's what the Phi refers to, hence the new Diana Phi using the same driver as the 1266 Phi - but now there's Phi TC, so I guess we should expect Diana Phi TC next?

I agree. For the short time the Phi "CC" was the current model, it makes "TC" a bit confusing. Perhaps "AB-1266 something" would have been better, and a bit less confusing. Oh well, not up to me. I know as much as you guys ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[mt-hifidelity]

They said that the original would be end-of-life'd. I'm not sure about the Phi pre-CC.
Look, yes its a bummer and I am also a wee bit deflated knowing there's a new potential end-game option out there, but if given the choice between owning the final version or seeing them push the boundaries, I would want them to continue innovating. I agree an upgrade program would be nice. HifiMan's upgrade program for the HE1k line is $1000, not cheap but at least the option is there.

 

[koven]

Lol TC eh, definitely taking a page out of Hifiman's playbook. Well done Aby$$.

 

[franz12]

"

At the same time, it's been....1.5 years(?) Since the release of the Phi driver, so not completely out of line in terms of relation to other manufacturers releasing new drivers.

...

I agree with this. A small company needs to keep providing a new product to survive. But I think Joe needs to learn how to run business better from other companies.

Hifiman learned how to not disrupt existing users by coming with the different naming scheme like hekse, ayra, ananda and so on. It confuses buyers, but in some ways, it works.
ZMF also does this. It is only about a year between Vertie and Auteur, but Zach push them as different products with different naming. And I saw nobody demands upgrade from Auteur to Vertie.

But Joe is too conscience to do this, so it is named as total conscious. ok..just kidding.

 

[mulder01]

Hmm, the way I read it on their website is that it's just a two tone colour finish instead of the CC. As someone said, the phi part is the driver update and the CC part is the finish update? Seems like they have just changed the finish again? Phi driver upgrade is still an option on the online store.

 

[mt-hifidelity]

The TC is a new driver, different than the Phi driver. CC is the frame coating.